Submarine drill



H. J.' FER GUSON SUBMARINE] DRILL' Jan. 7, 1936.

Filed Jan. 20, 1954 INVENTOR HuaH'doHN FERGUSON BY ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 7, 1936 I STATES SUBMARIN E DRILL Hugh John Ferguson, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application January 20, 1934, Serial No. 707,577 In Canada May 11, 1933 3 Claims. (01. 255 51 My invention relates to improvements in submarine drills the objects of which are to provide means for enclosing the lower end of the drill rod and bit; to provide an outlet at a suitable point above the sea floor for the discharge of cuttings from the drill; to provide means for keeping the face of the drill bit free from cuttings, and to provide means for maintaining the drill rod enclosingmeans in alignment with said drill rod during the drilling operation.

The invention consists essentially of a tubular drill rod equipped with a drill bit and a member above the bit adapted to direct streams of water from the interior of the drill rod lengthwise of the drill bit, of enclosing said drill rod and bit and of a tubular member surrounding the rod, said tubular member being provided with a vertically adjustable opening for the discharge of cuttings from the drill bit, as will be more fully described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a drilling machine fitted with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a partly fractionated elevation of the enclosing tube.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the bearing in which the enclosing tube is mounted.

Fig. 4 is a plan view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View of the water jet coupling.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the water jet coupling and the drill bit.

In the drawing like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The numeral 1 indicates a scow or vessel upon which is erected a derrick 2 having a pair of spaced vertical guides 33. Slidably mounted upon the guides 3 is a drilling engine 4 of any suitable type and also a water box 5. The piston rod of the engine connects with a hollow rod 6 which passes through the water box 5 and is equipped with a port, not shown, for the purpose of admitting water under suitable pressure from a pipe 1 to the hollow drill rod 8 which is connected tothe hollow rod 6 of the water box. This portion is customary equipment, hence further description is not considered to be necessary.

Secured to the side wall of the scow l or to the base of the derrick is a. slide bearing generally indicated by the numeral 9, see Figures 3 and 4. This bearing consists of a bed plate l having spaced pillow blocks l I which are covered by caps I2 having at their outer ends an inwardly turned flange l3, which is adapted to abut the end of a sleeve l4 mounted within the pillow blocks. Slidably engaged by the sleeve it is a telescopic member l which is aligned with the drill rod 8 and in which said drill rod is operated. The telescopic tubular member consists of two pipes I5 and ii, the latter being inserted within the former, the pipe i5 is provided at its base with a collar it having eyed lugs IQ for the attachment of hoisting lines and is provided adjacent its base with an elongated opening 2|. The inner pipe ll is provided with a relatively small opening 22 in its side wall which registers with the opening 2! of the pipe It and may be set at any position of the height of the opening 2| by clamping the pipes l6 and I! together with a bolt 23.

Fitted to the lower end of the drill rod 8 is a flushing device 251, see Figures 5 and 6, which consists of a block of metal preferably of substantially similar cross section to that of the drill bit 25, that showing being in the form of a horizontal cross. Threaded recesses 26 are formed in each end to engage the threads of the drill rod and drill bit and a central bore 27 extends from one recess to the other. Each wing of the cross is provided with a vertical passage 23, each of which communicate with the bore 21 through a transverse passage 29.

The drill is of cross section and is so connected to the flushing device that the vertical passages 28 align with the spaces between the cutting edges of the drill bit 25 as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 6.

It will be obvious that the drill bit and the flushing device may be made as a single unit ifv desired.

Having thus described the several parts of my invention I will now explain its use.

The telescopic member I5 is so adjusted that the lower end of the tube i 5 may rest on the bottom and the tube I! raised to dispose the opening 22 above the level of the silt overlying the bottom. The drilling engine 3 is set in motion to operate the drill bit 25 and water is turned on through the water box 5 into the drill rod 8, thence downwards through the flushing device from which jets of water are directed parallel to the drill rod, one set of jets impinging on the rock being cut by the drill to disturb the cuttings formed thereby, and the other set of jets serving to carry said cuttings in an upward direction that they may pass outwards from the telescopic member l5'through the registering openings 2| and 22. The telescopic member :5 being held in the slide bearing 9 is free to move in a vertical direction, but is held against sidewise movement, thus preventing any bending strain from developing on the drill rod while the drill bit is in contact with its work.

I am aware that prior to my invention submarine drills have been operated and the cuttings have been washed clear by a jet of water, therefore I do not claim such a combination broadly, but

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a submarine drill employing a hollow drill rod and a drill bit having a cutting edge, a flushing device comprising a coupling interposed between the rod and the drill bit, said device having radial webs and a water passage in each web extending parallel to the axial passage and being in communication therewith.

2. In a submarine drill employing a hollow drill rod, a drill bit having means for directing a stream of water supplied through the drill rod to impinge upon the face of the work out by the drill bit, a tubular enclosing member for the drill bit adapted to rest on the sea floor, said tubular member having a side opening adjacent its lower end and means for adjusting the position of said opening with respect to said lower end.

3. In a submarine drill employing a hollow drill rod, a drill bit having means for directing a. stream of water supplied through the drill rod to impinge upon the face of the work cut by the drill bit, a telescopic tubular enclosing member for the drill bit adapted to rest on the sea floor, said tubular member consisting of two sections each having a side opening adjacent its lower end, means for securing the sections against telescopic movement, said tubular member being slidably mounted in a bearing whereby said member is free to move in alignment with the drill rod and is held against lateral movement.

HUGH JOHN FERGUSON. 

